Jealousy
by rineren
Summary: Even though it pissed him off, he could only watch as the person he liked paid attention to someone else.
1. Chapter 1

**Diamond no Ace**

_Hey, I'm back with some more and well, a lot of my stories were suppose to be oneshots, but now I'm considering writing some more chapters to them. This one has three parts to it, so I'll post the rest tomorrow and Tuesday. So once again, thank you for checking out my stuff._

* * *

**Jealousy**

**Chapter 1**

He couldn't stand it. He hated looking at them. He knew he had to mind his own business and focus on Furuya, but it was getting harder with each passing minute. It wasn't like him to get distracted over such trivial matters, but, as of late, his personal feelings were starting to get in the way.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Monster Rookie?" Miyuki told him as he stood up to throw the ball back to Furuya. He caught it swiftly before he started kicking the dirt around. They had been practicing together for quite some time now, but the problem still remained the same.

"You're exhausting yourself by relying only on your strength. You're not going to last long if you keep this up."

It was true that he was being picker than usual, but he couldn't help it. He was annoyed with himself and possibly even angry. Miyuki crouched down in his same spot and held out his mitt in a position he knew Furuya would able to pitch well against. However, just before he threw the ball, Miyuki annoyingly glanced at the two that were practicing right next to them.

"That's not good enough, Furuya." He told him a bit more calmly since he didn't want the others to overhear his foul mood. "That would have been a hit ball easily. Just take it easy. Remember that I can catch anything you throw."

Furuya nodded and that seemed to lift up his low stamina. He let out a deep breath before he focused on him again. Once again, Miyuki took a quick peek at Eijun and Chris who seemed to have problems of their own. Contrary to Furuya, Eijun was smiling and being as lively as ever. He seemed to be having trouble controlling the ball, but of course, that wasn't enough to bring him down. Miyuki's lips slowly curved into a smile but it quickly dropped when he saw Chris walk toward his idiot pitcher.

He was probably only giving him advice, but still, Miyuki couldn't help but feel pissed off.

Ignoring the sudden swirl of emotions, Miyuki turned back around to focus on Furuya, who was staring at him curiously. Miyuki held out his mitt once again, but this time he placed it in the smack center. He glanced at Furuya, signaling him that he was ready at any time.

Taking that into account, Furuya threw the ball with all his might, but Eijun's sudden laughter distracted them. The ball went flying right past Miyuki which just caused him to feel even more pissed off.

"My mistake. Passed ball." Miyuki told Furuya, hoping he didn't think that he was incapable of handling his pitch. However, his eyes were once again drawn to Eijun who was a little too close to Chris for his own liking. Clutching his hands into fists, Miyuki slowly stood up and picked up the ball that had rolled to the back of the bullpen. He was about to throw it to Furuya when he suddenly started walking in his direction.

"You don't seem like yourself today, Senpai." Furuya told him which kind of surprised him. "Is everything okay?"

Miyuki stayed silent, but once again his eyes had subconsciously shifted to Eijun and Chris. It was true that he didn't mind catching for Furuya. In fact, if he had to choose between catching for Eijun and Furuya, he would pick Furuya without second thoughts. However, he wanted to be the one that brought out Eijun's full potential.

"That woud have been a homerun ball for sure." Miyuki suddenly commented at Eijun's pitch, ignoring enough, as hot headed as he was, Eijun turned to look at him with a glare. Chris took off his face mask and also turned to look at him.

"Say that one more time!" Eijun began, waving his hands furiously in the air. Miyuki snickered as he placed his glove over his mouth. "Besides, you're no one to talk! I saw that ball fly right past you!"

"Everything okay, Miyuki?" Chris asked him in his usual suave voice. His eyes were full of concern which made Miyuki wonder just how distracted he looked. "Maybe you should take a break. You and Furuya have practiced longer than usual."

"Everything's fine." Miyuki told them with a grin, but clearly he was lying. He couldn't tell them that he was anxious to catch Eijun's pitches again. "Trust me. I won't let it happen again."

"Let's get back to practicing then." Chris adjusted his position before he placed on his face mask on again. He slammed the mitt hard with his fist before he turned to Eijun. "Bring it right here, Sawamura. Don't hesitate. Keep your eyes on my mitt and remember to hold the ball like the way I taught you to."

Eijun nodded and it took him several seconds to prepare himself. Letting out a deep breath, Eijun's face became serious as he slowly lifted his leg. He stayed in that position before he released the ball from his glove with all his might. The sound of the ball hitting the mitt was loud and to the surprise of everyone, Eijun had successfully landed the pitch in the exact spot Chris had requested.

Looking at his accomplishment, Eijun let out a small jump of joy. Then, he happily danced toward Chris with laughter. "That was good, huh?! I finally got it!"

"Don't get too excited." Chris told him, but the smile on his face was visible. Miyuki could tell just by looking at him that he was proud of his idiot pitcher. "It was just one pitch. However, if you can pitch like that consistently, then you have a shot of getting into the first string."

Then, out of no where, Chris patted Eijun's head and of course, that brought Eijun to smile more brightly than ever. Feeling annoyed, Miyuki's eyebrows furrowed with anger as he watched the interaction between the two players. He respected Chris greatly, but he didn't know if he would be to tolerate him getting so close to Eijun.

Biting his lip, Miyuki pushed his feelings away with a smirk and ignoring Furuya's odd look, he walked toward Eijun. "Don't think I'll go so easy on you. I'm the one that's going to be catching you the majority of the time."

Miyuki hit his back lightly before he started walking out of the bullpen. However, before he opened the gate, he gave Eijun another look. Despite his words, Eijun had already turned his full attention to Chris and his smile just seemed like it couldn't get any wider.

Feeling pissed off again, Miyuki slammed the gate door as hard as he could. He threw his mitt on a nearby bench and took off his gear before he decided to go off for run. He needed to do something to cool off his head.

After all, he was the one that was suppose to draw out Eijun's full potential.

Him and no one else.

_..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Diamond no Ace**

**Jealousy**

**Chapter 2**

It frustrated him. It annoyed and angered him. He wished he could say something about it, but he knew that wouldn't change anything. He would just have to bear with it. He would just have to sit back and watch the person he respected so much agonize for someone else.

Furuya stared at the ball blankly before he slammed it against his glove. He did that several times when he heard footsteps coming in his direction. His body stiffened and he looked up to find the person he had been thinking about the entire time.

"What the heck are you still doing?" He asked him in a cool tone of voice, but he wasn't smiling like he usually was. "Don't tell me you're practicing by yourself?"

Furuya didn't say anything and turned his gaze back to ball. He could feel Miyuki staring at him and that was enough to stir his emotions around. "I was waiting for you. I was wondering if you could catch for me."

"Again, huh?" Miyuki replied, but Furuya was glad to see his lips curve into smile. "Ah, geez. I feel like we practiced enough for one day. You're going to tire yourself out and you're not going to have any strength for tomorrow. You haven't even gotten the hang of this whole training thing. Just take it easy."

Furuya couldn't help but wonder what his reply would have been if Eijun had asked him instead. "Just for a bit."

With a small sigh, Miyuki scratched the back of his head before looking back at him. He picked up a mitt that was laying by the porch and got into a good catcher position. "Okay, fine. Just a couple of pitches. Crouching down like this all day isn't easy, but I guess you guys don't think about that."

Miyuki slammed his fist several times against the mitt, showing him that he was getting prepared the impact. Then, he placed the mitt in a specific spot and signaled him with a motion of eyes that he was ready.

Furuya stared closely at the mitt, but his mind was suddenly distracted by other things. Lifting his leg in the air, Furuya tried to concentrate as he released the ball from his grasp. In matter of seconds, he heard the ball hitting the glove loudly. Miyuki stood up from his position and threw it back just as quickly.

"You're getting better." Miyuki told him with a small grin. "But you still need to learn to control the ball. Remember what I said about throwing only with strength."

Furuya nodded with some disappointment, catching the ball he had thrown swiftly. He came to Seidou so that Miyuki could catch for him. He was the reason why he had left home to come to Tokyo. He came with high expectations, but now, it seemed that he had failed to meet them. He lacked experience and better yet still, he lacked stamina. Then, to add even more pressure to the whole situation, a pitcher like Eijun showed up. Unlike him, Eijun didn't have to try to get Miyuki's attention.

"What's the matter, Monster Rookie?" Miyuki suddenly called out to him before he crouched back down on the ground. "You seem distracted."

Furuya lowered his head as he adjusted his cap. In his short time being there, he couldn't remember Miyuki ever calling him by his name. It was a small thing, but that didn't make it any less painful.

He did call him interesting once, but he knew that was a phrase he said to many. Furuya looked at the ball in his hand before he placed it inside his mitt. He gripped on it tightly as he raised his head a little.

"I'm fine." Furuya assured him. "Let's continue."

It was understandable in a way. Eijun seemed much more fun and lively than him. He had a unique strive for baseball and he probably worked harder than anyone. It was only natural that Miyuki's attention would be drawn to him.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Furuya felt a drop of sweat trickling down his forehead while his thoughts wavered inside his mind. Even though Eijun was a better choice, Furuya wanted Miyuki to be his sole catcher. He didn't want anyone else to catch his pitch and he definitely didn't want to share his catcher with anyone.

Just when he was about to throw the ball, they both suddenly heard a loud yell coming from the baseball field. Annoyed, Furuya turned around to find Eijun running around in circles with a tire tied behind his back. Like always, he was making too much noise for his own liking.

Furuya's eyes widen when he heard Miyuki's soft laughter. He was looking at Eijun. He was laughing and smiling willingly because of Eijun. Furuya grasped the ball tightly in his hand before he lowered his head once again. He wondered what he would have to do to make him laugh like that.

"Aww, man, what an idiot! Just look at him!" Miyuki said in between laughs, but Furuya didn't find any humor in Eijun's actions. As far as he knew, that was the way he always acted. " I wondered what he's worked up about now!"

"Miyuki-senpai," Furuya called out his name before he started walking in his direction. "I think I'm going back inside."

"What? We haven't even warmed up yet." He complained after regaining his composure. Even if they did continue, Furuya knew Miyuki wouldn't have his eyes only on him. With Eijun around, Furuya was sure Miyuki would be tempted to look at him. "You sure are weird."

Furuya started walking toward the dorms when he turned around to look at Miyuki again. He was still standing in the same spot and he was still looking out toward the field. He wore a gentle smile on face while his eyes seemed to be filled with what looked like happiness. Miyuki wasn't following him. He wasn't going back inside.

"Aren't you coming, Miyuki-senpai?" Furuya let those words slip out his mouth with anger and frustration.

"You go on ahead." Miyuki told him, waving his hand casually, but his eyes never left the field. "I think I'll stay out here for a little while longer. It's pretty nice outside."

With Eijun's yelling, Furuya believed the night could be anything but graceful. Still, he wasn't going to argue about it. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Furuya left even though he wanted to pull Miyuki with him.

It was always Eijun. He was better than him at everything. Even though he didn't want to admit it to himself, Furuya could clearly see that Eijun truly had the qualities of an ace. He could probably be want the team needed to succeed. Furuya was almost a hundred percent certain that he wasn't the only one that had noticed Eijun's good points.

Still, Furuya was determined to work hard to surpass him. He would get the acknowledgement he wanted from Miyuki and he would become a pitcher worthy enough for him.

That was the only thing he could focus on.

...


	3. Chapter 3

**Diamond no Ace**

**Jealousy**

**Chapter 3**

Eijun ran as fast as he could with hopes of getting rid of some of his rage. He gripped on his tire tightly while he trotted around the field. He had been running for quite a while and his muscles were even starting to get a bit tired, but whenever an image of Miyuki appeared in his head, anger would swell within him.

Letting out a yell from the top of his lungs, Eijun ran even faster and pulled his black tire even closer to his body. Night had already fallen and everyone was probably getting ready for bed. Still, he didn't really care. He just wanted to let out some of his anger and frustration and running seemed to be one of the only solutions he could think of.

He just hated Miyuki so much sometimes. He hated his cocky laugh and smug smile. He hated his inflated ego and his laid back attitude. He hated the way he always made fun of him and the way he would put him down sometimes. There were so many things that he hated about him, but nothing made him more furious than seeing him practice with Furuya.

With that mind, Eijun increased his running speed once again as his eyes narrowed to the opposite side of the field he was suppose to reach. Miyuki was always catching Furuya's pitches. There was never a day he didn't see them together. Then, to make everything worse, Miyuki seemed to enjoy being Furuya's catcher.

He wasn't going to deny the fact that they made a pretty awesome battery. Without being seen, Eijun would watch Furuya and Miyuki practice sometimes and they never failed to amaze him. Miyuki was working with Furuya better than he had ever expected and with each passing day, Furuya's pitching was getting sharper. He was gradually improving.

Eijun suddenly stopped running to catch his breath. He leaned his hands against his thighs, dropping his black tire on the ground. He could feel drops of sweat slowly streaming down his forehead while his heart thudded loudly beneath his chest. It wasn't until then that he realized how tired he really was and it was all Miyuki's fault. It was all his fault.

It was true that he loved practicing with Chris. In fact, he was grateful that he had gotten Chris. Even though their practices were short, Eijun felt like he would learn something new each time. He looked up to Chris for guidance and advice. He was helping him in a way that Miyuki probably would have never been able to accomplish. Chris was truly pulling out his full potential.

Still, that didn't mean that he had forgotten about Miyuki. He would never be able to forget the sound of his pitches landing on his mitt. He wanted to practice with him again, but it seemed that Miyuki would rather be Furuya's catcher than his.

Letting out another frustrated yell, Eijun picked up his tire and started running again. He didn't want to feel that way, but he couldn't help it. He didn't know exactly what it was and that was probably why he didn't know how to deal with it.

"What in the world are you doing?"

Eijun stopped running and turned to look at the person he had just been thinking about. He was leaning against the dugout with his arms crossed while wearing a smug look on his face.

"Miyuki-senpai?"

"Only a crazy person like you would be out here running and yelling at this hour." He lifted his head as his smile got a bit wider. "What's got you all worked up this time?"

Eijun didn't say anything even though he could feel Miyuki's pressuring eyes on him. Instead of giving him an honest reply, Eijun shrugged his shoulders and coolly tried to brush him off. There was no way he was going to feed his ego and tell him that he had been thinking about him for the past hour or so. There was no way he was going to tell him that he was aching to form another battery with him.

"It's none of your business." Eijun responded and even though it was dark, he could see Miyuki lifting an eyebrow. Clearly, he hadn't expected such a cold answer. "It's something between me and my tire."

"Oh, really? Well, excuse me for interrupting." Miyuki huffed with sarcasm as he stood up straight. Eijun thought he was going to leave, but instead Miyuki suddenly threw a baseball mitt in his direction. His tire immediately slipped from his waist since his hand had reached out to grab the glove.

"Well," Miyuki continued while he pulled out another mitt from behind his back. Surprising enough, he was also carrying a baseball. "Since you're all warmed up, how about we play some catch?"

Eijun's eyes immediately widened as he looked at Miyuki with disbelief. He couldn't remember Miyuki ever inviting him to practice. It was surely a strange thing and yet, for some odd reason, his heart was pounding insanely. He wondered what it could all mean since it wasn't required for him to do so.

"Why do you want to practice now?" Eijun asked him even though he was already getting into position. "Don't you think it's pretty late for this?"

He ignored him and Eijun watched as his smile dropped a little. There was definitely something wrong with him. Even during their afternoon practice, Miyuki seemed a bit off and distracted. He didn't seem like himself at all, to say that he even missed one of Furuya's pitches. Shortly after that, he ended up leaving the bullpen early than usual. Eijun couldn't help but think if something was wrong with him.

Miyuki tossed the ball a few times in the air before he suddenly threw it his direction. Being caught off guard, Eijun had to do a little more than reach out to grab it. He stumbled forward, but he managed to catch the ball just in time before it fell.

"Hey, mind telling me when you're going to throw it?!" Eijun exclaimed as he threw the ball back with the same amount of force. Miyuki let out laughed, making Eijun think that he was messing around with him. It was always the same. He was always joking around. Then again, Eijun couldn't forget the time Miyuki had snapped at him for insulting Chris. He rather have a joking Miyuki than an angry one."I'm being serious! What if you ended up hitting me in the head or something!?"

"I was aiming for your glove, not your head, idiot." Miyuki stated with a smirk. Once again, he tossed the ball a few times in the air before he suddenly flung it toward him again. However, Eijun was more ready for it this time.

They kept tossing the ball after that in utter silence and as the minutes continued to stretch out, an awkward atmosphere suddenly formed around them. Eijun gulped silently as he began to feel a little nervous. He had no idea how to break the silence between them.

"How has practice been with Chris?" Miyuki suddenly asked him as the ball landed inside his mitt.

Unlike before, Eijun couldn't tell if Miyuki was asking him that seriously or just playing around. Miyuki held the ball in his mitt for several seconds before he threw it back at him. Catching the ball swiftly, Eijun decided to keep his focus on it as he spoke.

"It was a bit tense between us at first. In fact, I didn't want him to be my catcher at all." Eijun began while he twirled the ball in his hand. He remembered the deep respect Miyuki had Chris and that was the reason why he decided to give Chris the praise he deserved.

"But that was before! Things are really working out now and I really like pitching with him! I've learned a lot of things! I thought the exercises he was giving me were useless, but in reality they were really helpful! Without even realizing it, they were helping me improve! Chris-senpai really is great catcher and I'm really glad that I was given the chance to form a battery with him!"

Almost out of breath, Eijun looked up at Miyuki as he placed his fist over his chest. It was true. He was glad that he got to know and interact with Chris, but it was also true that he also true that he wanted to form another battery with him. He wanted to pitch into his glove and he wanted to look into his eyes. He wasn't trying to push Chris away, he just wanted Miyuki. He wanted him as his catcher again.

"But, I," Eijun choked on his words. "Chris-senpai is a great catcher, but-"

"Ahh, I see! That's great! I'm glad you're getting along with him, then!" He said with a laugh, but for some reason, his eyes weren't smiling. They weren't giving off that happy and joking aura that they always carried.

Eijun threw the ball reluctantly toward Miyuki and just as soon as he caught it, Miyuki dashed it back to him harder than before. There was no way he could have ever caught something like that, so the ball whiffed by him to the back of the field. With anger, Eijun turned to look at Miyuki with a glare and he was a bit surprised to find him staring back in the same manner.

"Hey!" Eijun exclaimed, pointing an index finger at him. "You did that on purpose!"

"No, it's just that you were too distracted to catch it." He responded indifferently while he calmly took off his glove. "Anyways, I guess that's enough playing around. It's been a pretty long day after all. Catching Furuya is pretty exhausting especially considering how hard that guy throws. He has been getting better and he's been pretty consistent during our practice games. I can see why the coach picked him out from the start."

Eijun didn't say anything, but he could feel his hands curling into fists. There he went again. He was talking about Furuya with pride. He really did enjoy being his catcher. He really did prefer him. Eijun wanted to understand why that was. He wanted to reason out with himself that it was okay. However, Miyuki boasting about Furuya hurt him. Eijun wanted him to talk about him in that way too.

"Oh, really?" The glove on his hand slowly slipped to the ground and he made no attempt to grab it. "Good for him then."

They stood in silent for what seemed like an eternity. Then, Miyuki started walking in his direction and he didn't stop until he stood right next to him. "Furuya has the potential to become the ace of this team and if you don't pull yourself together, you'll just end up as his relief pitcher."

That was all it took to make Eijun snap. He suddenly picked up the glove from the ground and pushed it against Miyuki's chest. He didn't care if he was his upperclassmen or not. He couldn't just couldn't take it anymore. "Fine then! Stay with Furuya if that's what you want! I don't care anymore! I'm fine with Chris-senpai, anyways! I don't need you!"

"You're not the one that makes those decisions." Miyuki replied to his outburst. Then, out of no where, he tightly grabbed his wrist and pulled him a tint closer. "The coach is the one that decides. If he says you're pitching with me, then you're pitching with me. If he says you sit on the bench, then you'll sit on the bench. Do you get what I'm saying?'

Eijun pushed his hand and grabbed him tightly by the shirt. He knew he was messing around with him on purpose, but a part of him just wanted to punch him in the face. He really didn't understand him sometimes. He couldn't see that he was the one that he wanted the most and yet, he always brought up Furuya.

"I know that, but it's not like you want to catch for me anyways! You're better off with Furuya and that's why you were chosen to practice with him to begin with! You should just catch for him instead of me!" He was saying all this with anger, but it was slowly subsiding to sadness. Even if he did work hard with Chris, he would probably never get the acknowledgement he wanted from Miyuki.

"I never said I that I didn't want to catch for you." Miyuki's words echoed inside him, making his body stiffen a little. Miyuki, in response, calmly clasped his hand over his. Without bothering to look at him, Miyuki pulled his hand away from his shirt as his face expression changed all at once. The angry look in his eyes was completely gone.

"Is that why you've been all worked up?" Miyuki asked him with a smirk that he was well familiar with. Then, he slowly lowered his hand, but much to Eijun's confusion, he didn't let go of him. He held on tightly to his now sweaty hand. "You were jealous?"

"What are you saying?! No! That's not it!" Eijun replied, feeling a bright red blush forming on his face. He quickly pulled his hand away from Miyuki's reach which only caused him more amusement. "You really are full of yourself! I was just saying-"

Jealousy. There wasn't any reason for him to feel that way. Miyuki didn't belong to him. He was the main catcher after all and he played with all the first string pitchers. Eijun understood that, but that wasn't enough to subside the strange feeling he had. That didn't erase the aching feeling he would get when he would watch Miyuki catch someone else's pitches. It wasn't just with Furuya. He would get the same envious feeling whenever he saw Miyuki practicing with someone else.

Could he really be jealous then?

"When are you going to remember that I'm your upperclassman?" Miyuki exclaimed as he playfully whacked him behind the head. Eijum was too spaced out to react, but he did take the glove Miyuki was handing him. "To think that you want me all to yourself. Don't you think you're being a bit selfish?"

"I told you that's not it!" He yelled back, throwing a senseless punch in the air. It annoyed him so much to think that Miyuki could read him so easily. Eijun couldn't help but wonder if it was his senses as a catcher. "I'm going back inside!"

Eijun started stomping back to the dorm rooms when Miyuki slowly extended his arm to stop him. Then, before Eijun even had a chance to glance at him, Miyuki pushed his head slightly so that it was leaning against his. Eijun heart started thumping loudly as they both stood there in silence under the night sky. Not knowing what to say or do, Eijun nervously turned to look at Miyuki, but his hair had fallen right over his face.

"It's okay, though. I've been thinking a little selfishly too." He told him in a rather low tone of voice and as the seconds ticked by, Eijun could feel Miyuki's head leaning in closer to him. It was only natural that Eijun started feeling a little nervous. He hated Miyuki sarcastic side, but he wasn't used to Miyuki's serious or soft side either.

"You said you wanted to be the ace of this team." Miyuki continued. "I don't know if that's possible or not, but I want to help you out. I want to be the one that helps you get there. Me and no one else."

Eijun couldn't exactly hear what Miyuki was saying since he was speaking in something that was much lower than whisper. Still, he was almost sure Miyuki had said something about helping him out. If that was the case, then maybe, he didn't prefer Furuya as much as he thought. Maybe, if he asked him to practice with him, he would say yes.

"Miyuki-senpai?" Eijun snapped his eyes shut as he suddenly felt his body get hotter. He didn't know why, but he wanted to embrace Miyuki in his arms. He wanted to tell him how important he was to him and that he wouldn't have come to Seidou at all if it wasn't for him. Of course, Eijun couldn't get himself to say any of that and instead he ended up asking the stupidest question ever.

"Were you jealous of Chris-senpai?" Immediately, Eijun felt Miyuki's body jerk up. "Is that the reason why you were acting so strange today?"

"Idiot." Miyuki replied, hitting him behind the head for the second time. He took a step away and helplessly sighed. However, Eijun could tell that he was avoiding making eye contact with him. "How stupid can you get? I was just having a bad day. As good as I am, there are times when I'm just off. If you have time to say such stupid things, then you should just go to bed. We have to wake up early tomorrow and like always, the coach isn't going to go easy on us."

"I know that! You don't have to remind me!" It was bad enough that he was fighting for a spot in the first string, but the coach seemed to be making them practice harder everyday. Then again, just when he seemed to be having an honest conversation with Miyuki, he had to suddenly change the topic. It was annoying that Miyuki could read him so easily and yet, he couldn't really seem to get what he was thinking.

Then again, he couldn't really tell what anyone was thinking.

Eijun pouted as he watched Miyuki turn toward the dorm rooms. However, before he walked away, Miyuki slightly brushed his fingers against his. With a flustered face, Eijun looked up at his catcher to find him smiling in the most sincere manner.

_I'll be your catcher. Me and no one else._


End file.
